1. Field of the Invention
The invention is related to the field of communications and, in particular, to providing multiple maximum durations for prepaid or postpaid sessions made over a communication network. More particularly, in addition to a statically-defined maximum duration defined for all sessions over a communication network, a dynamically-configurable maximum duration is defined for sessions initiated by a particular party.
2. Statement of the Problem
Communication networks typically have a maximum duration defined to avoid extraordinarily long sessions (i.e., voice calls, data sessions, etc) from taking up bandwidth on the network. The maximum duration implemented in most if not all communication networks is statically defined for all sessions. The static maximum duration is typically 72 hours. To implement the static maximum duration, network operators program the switches or servers in the communication network with the maximum duration. The switches or servers then monitor the duration of sessions over the communication network and terminate any sessions that exceed the maximum duration. As an example, network operators may program Mobile Switching Centers (MSC) in a cellular network with a static maximum duration of 72 hours. Any session exceeding 72 hours in duration is terminated by the MSC that is serving that session.
The duration of a prepaid session is further limited by the account balance of the prepaid party that is participating in the session. For instance, if a prepaid party has an account balance of 2 hours (based on a present rating), then the maximum duration for a session from that prepaid party is not only limited by the static maximum duration, but also by the account balance of the prepaid party. Any session exceeding 2 hours in duration will be terminated by the communication network unless the prepaid party replenishes the account. Some communication networks may notify the prepaid party of the account balance so that the party is aware of the maximum duration.
One problem with both prepaid and postpaid services is that the network operator or the party cannot presently define a maximum duration in a flexible manner. For postpaid services, the only maximum duration available to a party is the static maximum duration defined in the communication network, which is typically 72 hours. For prepaid services, only the static maximum duration and the maximum duration that is calculated based on the account balance of the prepaid party exist to control the duration of sessions. A party or a network operator may want to define other maximum durations that are shorter than the static maximum duration or the calculated maximum duration (for prepaid services). For example, if a parent gives a child a cellular phone, the parent may want to define a maximum duration of 20 minutes, 30 minutes, 60 minutes, etc, for the sessions involving that cellular phone. The parent may further want to define a maximum duration of 30 minutes for voice calls, and a maximum duration of 2 hours for gaming. In another example, a network operator may want to define a maximum duration of one hour during a time when the communication network is highly congested, and define a maximum duration of three hours during a time when the communication network is not congested. A dynamic maximum duration such as this is not presently available.